The skull of the suspected Civil War soldier arrived at the Smithsonian in a square box. The lower jaw was missing, as were four front teeth and some nasal bones, but otherwise it was in remarkable condition, considering it was thought to have been in the ground at Gettysburg since 1863. The skull made headlines last year when it was saved from the auction block by public outrage. It was due for a soldier's burial once it had been checked by the Smithsonian's experts. But the moment veteran anthropologist Douglas Owsley set eyes on it, he knew it wasn't as advertised. It wasn't from Gettysburg. And it didn't date from 1863, the year of the battle. It was...

Related "Museum of Natural History" Articles

The skull of the suspected Civil War soldier arrived at the Smithsonian in a square box.
The lower jaw was missing, as were four front teeth and some nasal bones, but otherwise it was in remarkable condition, considering it was thought to have been in...

It's Christmas Day. The presents are opened and dinner is done. What next?
Head to the movies, of course.
Christmas Day is one of the biggest days of the year for going to the movies. No wonder so many biggies open on Christmas and just before.
This...

As soon as junior Veronica Lloyd's classes at Lafayette College end at 3:30 p.m. Friday, she'll hop in a car and head to New York City, where she and her friends have booked a room near Times Square.
Lloyd is among the multitude of students and alumni...

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Good Friday Morning, Fellow Seekers. If you're like us, the chances are pretty good that, even at this early hour, you're already looking forward to the long holiday weekend ahead. If you're even in the office this morning, perhaps you're ...

In rocky outcroppings near a cornfield in northern China, paleontologists have unearthed three species of squirrel-like mammals that lived at the same time as the dinosaurs.
Remarkably complete skeletons of the three new species -- Shenshou lui, Xianshou...

Is it possible? Is it possible there is something everyone in your gang will enjoy this holiday season, no matter what their ages -- even the I-don't-want-to-go-anywhere-with-you teens? Even better, you're guaranteed not to bust the holiday gift budget in...

Costumes play their part in October celebrations, from the World of WearableArt's fantastic creations in New Zealand to horrific Halloween props in New Orleans and West Hollywood. In between, the American Museum of Natural History creeps out arachnophobes...

Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara
10th mission
1786
This mission, often called Old Mission Santa Barbara, is a hive of activity, with lecture series, Franciscans on the scene, an active museum, extensive archives and gardens. (Its overnight retreat...

Sometimes, a rainy day seems like a bad time for a road trip, but it's actually the perfect day for a museum.
Two museums were on my list on a recent excursion to North Florida, but the landscape along the way offers a glimpse of Florida's unspoiled past...

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"YOU WAITED too long!" That line, delivered with withering dismissal by Lena Headey (aka Cersei Lannister) in the first episode of the fourth season of HBO's "Game of Thrones," received a wildly hearty burst of applause from the...

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...

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Mammals first appeared 215 million years ago during the Triassic period, according to a new study in the journal Nature. Wait, no, they first showed up 175 million years ago during the Jurassic period, said another study in the same issue of the journal....